Cigarette machine feeding and compressing mechanism



E. D. SMITH April 16, 1935.

CIGARETTE MACHINE FEEDING AND COMPRESSING-MECHANSM Filed May 31, 1934 BY ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 16, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcla CIGARETTE MACHINE FEEDING AND COMPRESSING MECHANISM Application May 31, 1934, Serial No. 728,411

8 Claims.

This invention relates to tobacco feeds for con tinuous rod cigarette machines, its main object being to improve the operation of the compressing device shown in my prior Patent No. 1,892,257, granted December 27, 1932.

In that device the tobacco is fed into the compressing chute by both belts forming that chute, so that jamming or choking of tobacco is liable to occur at the mouth of the same at high speeds. To prevent this in the present invention, the entire shower of tobacco from the feed chute is intercepted by the forwarding belt, the compressor belt merely serving to compress the tobacco thereon; and a vertical partition is arranged in the feed chute so as to keep the showered tobacco off the compressor belt, and thus to feed tobacco into the compressor chute by the forwarding belt only. Furthermore in the improved device the side guides of the delivery end of the compressing chute are made readily adjustable so that the width of the charge entering under the rodformer tongue can be varied during operation to suit the speed of the machine and the width of the wrapper strip.

In carrying the invention into effect there is provided a cigarette machine feed chute adapted to conne the tobacco falling therethrough in a shower, means for continuously forwarding a cigarette paper strip, a traveling endless forwarding belt having an inclined upper run extending underneath and beyond said chute to angularly intercept the shower of tobacco and deliver a stream of tobacco to the paper strip at an angle thereto, and an endless compressor belt beyond said chute having a lower run coacting with the upper run of said forwarding belt to compress the tobacco thereon and operating to further compress the tobacco on the paper strip. In the best constructions contemplated there is provided spaced upright walls extending underneath the chute on either side of the forwarding belt and flared toward their lower edges to prevent choking of the tobacco forwarded therebetween by the forwarding belt and there is also provided adjustable side guides for confining the tobacco between the opposed runs of the forwarding and compressor belts. These various means and parts may be widely varied in construction within the scope of the claims for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the specific construction shown and described.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specication and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved tobacco feed compressor with the front wall partly broken away;

Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation of the same on 5 line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional end elevation on line 3 3. of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the mounting of the side guides of the compressor chute. 10

The construction of the forwarding and compressor belts of the improved device is substantially the same as that disclosed in my prior patent referred to above, but the compressor belt is arranged beyond the feed chute I9 so that it 15 will merely compress the streams of tobacco advanced thereunder on the portion of the inclined upper run of the forwarding belt 21 projecting beyond the feed chute I9 and further compress the tobacco stream on the cigarette paper strip P advanced by the rod forming tape 21 which 20 travels through the rod-former, not shown, in which the edges of the paper strip are pasted and overlapped to form the cigarette rod.

The entire shower of tobacco T falling through the feed chute I9 is angularly intercepted by the 25 inclined upper run of the belt I5. Accordingly, with the present arrangement the compressor belt does not intercept any portion of the shower of tobacco nor does it deliver tobacco to the stream of tobacco collected on the forwarding 30 belt as in the construction of my patent referred to above. With the present arrangement of the compressor belt there are no oppositely moving tobacco streams which tend to choke at the meetr ing point of the streams when the machine is 30 operated at high speeds. The latter disadvantage has been found to be inherent in the prior construction of my above mentioned patent in which the oppositely moving tobacco streams on the forwarding and compressor belts meet at the 0 mouth of the compressor chute, which is formed by the adjacent portions of the upper run of the forwarding belt and the lower run of the compressor belt between the rear wall 20 and front wan 2|. l 45 Y A vertical partition 31 on one end of the rear wall 20 is so placed as to prevent the tobacco T supplied by the feed chute I9 from falling on belt I0 as it drops onto the belt I5 between the walls zu and 2|. Thus, the tobacco is fed a1ong the 5 belt I5 into the compressing chute formed by the upper run of belt I5 and the lower run of belt II), and jamming of tobacco at the mouth of the chute, is thereby avoided. The walls 20 and 2| 55 2 1,9os,14e

are flared toward their lower edges so that the distance between the walls is somewhat greater at the bottom than at the top in order to prevent choking of the tobacco between the walls 2l and 2I as the belt I5 carries the tobacco therebetween. See Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1, the frame 5 is supported on the bed (not shown) of the cigarette machine and carries a pulley 5 mounted on shaft l which drives the compressor belt III over the guide rollers II, I2, and I3 and the belt tightener Il supported on frame 5. 'I'he frame 5 also carries a pulley (not shown) driving the forwarding belt I5 over the roller I1. 'The lower run of the belt I5 is supported between the rollers II and I2 by the channel 32, and between the rollers I2 and I3 by the channel 35, both channels being attached to frame 5. A plate 3l also secured to the frame 5 supports the upper run of the belt I5.

The rod-forming tape 21 running over roller 2l is driven by a tape wheel (not shown), and forwards the cigarette paper strip P under the lower run of the belt I0 to receive the stream of tobacco T from the lower end of the compressor chute and forward it under the rod-former tongue 28a and through the rod-former (not shown). 'I'he belts I0 and I5 and the tape 21 are driven at a predetermined speed so that the compressed tobacco stream T and the paper strip P have the same speed when coming together and when entering the tongue 25a of the rodformer.

'I'he tobacco stream T is confined between the opposed runs of the belts Il and I5 and between the paper strip P on the tape 2`I and the belt Il by side guides 22 and 22, Fig. 3, fixed at their upper ends near roller II, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to be sprung inwardly by the adjusting screws Il and 39 arranged to bear against them to regulate the cross-sectional area of the tobacco stream T while the same is being forwarded. The rear screw 38 turns in frame 5 and is held in its adjusted position by a set screw Il. The forward screw I! turns in a bushing inserted into aside plate 42 secured to the channel 33 by means of a bolt 43 and is held in position by a check nut 44. The side pressure of the stream of tobacco T in the compressing chute holds the side guides against the adjusting screws.

In order to press the tobacco stream on the cigarette paper strip to prevent any tobacco from following the belt III when it leaves the tobacco stream at roller I3a thin guide plate 29 extending into tongue 28a. is fastened to wall 22. Furthermore, the tongue 28a engages the portion of belt III running over roller I3 to scrape of! any tobacco which may adhere to the belt.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a cigarette machine feed chute adapted to confine the tobacco falling therethrough in a shower, of means for continuously forwarding a cigarette paper strip, a traveling endless forwarding belt having an inclined upper run extending underneath and beyond said chute to angularly intercept the shower of tobacco and deliver a stream of tobacco to the paper strip at an acute angle thereto, and a traveling endless compressor belt beyond said chute having a lower run coacting with the upper run of said forwarding belt to compress the tobacco thereon and operating to further compress the tobacco on the cigarette paper strip.

2. 'I'he combination with a cigarette machine feed chute adapted to confine the tobacco falling therethrough in a shower, of means for continuously forwarding a cigarette paper strip, a traveling endless belt having an inclined upper run extending underneath and beyond said chute to angularly intercept the shower of tobacco .and deliver a stream of tobacco to the paper strip at an acute angle thereto, and a traveling endless compressor belt beyond said chute having a lower run coacting with the ,upper run of said forwarding belt to compress the tobacco thereon.

3. The combination with a cigarette machine feed chute adapted to confine the tobacco falling therethrough in a shower, of means for continuously forwarding a cigarette paper strip, spaced upright walls extending underneath said chute, a forwarding belt beneath said walls and having an inclined upper run extending underneath and beyond said chute to angularly intercept the shower of tobacco and deliver a stream of tobacco to the paper strip at an acute angle thereto, and a traveling endless compressor belt disposed beyond said chute with its lower run coacting with the upper run of the forwarding belt to compress the tobacco thereon and operating to further compress the tobacco on the cigarette paper strip.

4. The combination with a cigarette machine feed chute adapted to confine the tobacco falling therethrough in a shower, of means for continuously forwarding a cigarette paper strip, spaced upright walls extending underneath said chute, a forwarding belt beneath said walls and having an inclined upper run extending underneath and beyond said chute to angularly intercept the shower of tobacco and deliver a stream of tobacco to the paper strip at an acute angle thereto, and a traveling endless compressor belt disposed beyond said chute with its lower run coacting 'withtheupperrunoftheforwardingbeltto compress the tobacco' thereon and operating to further compress the tobacco on the cigarette paper strip, said walls being flared toward their lower edges to prevent choking of the tobacco forwarded therebetween by the forwarding belt.

5. The combination with a cigarette machine feed chute adapted to connne the tobacco falling therethrough in a shower, of means for continuously forwarding a cigarette paper strip, a traveling endless forwarding belt having an inclined upper run extending underneath and beyond said chute to angularly intercept the shower of tobacco and deliver a stream of tobacco to the paper strip at an acute angle thereto, a traveling endless compressor belt, said compressor belt having a lower run coacting with the upper run of the forwarding belt to compress the stream of tobacco thereon and operating to further compress the tobacco on the cigarette paper strip, movable side guides for confining the stream of tobacco between the opposed runs of the forwarding and compressor belts and between the paper strip and the overlying run of the compressor belt, and adjusting screws engaging said guides, whereby the crosssection of the tobacco stream may be regulated while the same is being forwarded.

6. The combination with a cigarette machine feed chute adapted to confine the tobacco falling therethrough in a shower, of means for continuously forwarding a cigarette paper strip, spaced upright walls extending underneath said chute, a forwarding belt beneath said walls and having an inclined upper run extending underneath and beyond said chute to angularly intercept the shower of tobacco and deliver a stream of tobacco to the paper strip at an acute angle thereto, a traveling endless compressor belt beyond 1,oos,14e 3 said chute with its lower run eoacting .with the upper run of the forwarding belt to compress the tobacco thereon and operating to further compress the tobacco on the cigarette paper strip, and a vertical partition between said walls arranged to keep the showered tobacco of! the compressor belt.

7. The combination with a cigarette machine feed chute adapted to confine the tobacco-falling therethrough in a shower, of means for continuously forwarding a cigarette paper strip, spaced upright lwalls extending underneath said chute, a forwarding belt'beneath said walls and having an inclined upper run extending underneath said chute to angularly intercept the shower of tobacco and deliver a stream of tobacco to the paper strip at an acute angle thereto, said walls being flared toward their lower edges to prevent choking of the tobacco forwarded' therebetween by the forwarding/beit. v

- 8. The combination with a traveling endless forwarding belt having an upper run adapted to forward a stream of tobacco, of a traveling endless compressor belt having a lower run coacting with the upper run of said forwarding belt to compress the stream of tobacco thereon, side guides fixed at one end only and arranged to connne the stream of tobacco between the opposed runs of the forwarding and compressor belts, and .adjusting screws engaging said guides, whereby the cross-section of the tobacco stream may be regulated while it is being forwarded.

ELBERON D. SMITH. 

